A Summer of Stars
by raynab55
Summary: Willow Marie Reinbold has been living an average life since as long as she could remember. But one rainy afternoon, all of that changes when she meets a mysterious man with a blue box. Willow's life is turned around as she ventures away with this strange man, embarking on adventures beyond her wildest dreams, and witnessing events she never imagined she could.
1. A Rainy Afternoon

"_Doctor!" I cried out, that one powerful word laced with horror and absolute shock. This wasn't supposed to happen! He had promised her he would do all in his power to stay. He said he would never leave! "Doctor, please!" I exclaimed, warm, salty tears rolling down my flushed cheeks. My heart pounded in my chest. He didn't even turn around. _

* * *

"Ha! Are you kidding me?" I let out a peal of laughter, playfully punching her in the arm. Miranda, my 'BFF' had just informed me that he brother had actually managed to get a girlfriend.

"And is she pretty?!" I questioned eagerly. I wanted to get all the juicy details. Gossip was one of my 'things' and this seemed like the perfect 'thing' to be in on. Miranda pushed her thick black hair back behind her shoulder and made a face.

"Actually, yes." She frowned. I mirrored her frown, quite shocked. How had Neil managed to get an attractive girlfriend? As far as I knew he was the biggest nerd in all of York.

Ah, York. One of the most beautiful cities in Britain, having some of the most amazing architecture and surrounding countryside in the whole of Europe. That was my town of residence. Mum had decided she wanted to have a change from the bustling London, so away we went. Unfortunately, I had really liked London.

However, a few short years after the move, I met Miranda and her nerdy older brother. Miranda was the middle child in a family of 6. She had her Dad, her Mum, Neil, herself, Carter, and of course Ms. Ashley the princess of all things equine. She seemed to have a shrine of every European horse ever raced.

Miranda, surprisingly, was a big fan of Wrestling. She always recorded the wrestling matches on her Television set. She also enjoyed spending hours plaiting her extremely long, glossy black hair.

Me? Why, I was just about the complete opposite. I _hated _wrestling. It always seemed too awkward watching the grotesquely burly men intertwined in such uncomfortable positions as they tried to shove a toe up a nose or an elbow in the groin.

I preferred a quiet stroll down the street, watching people with their own unique stories carry about their day.

And don't even get me started on my hair. Allow me to describe my dreadful locks in a few blunt words.

Thick. Untamable. Curly. Auburn. Scraggly. Long. Evil.

If it wasn't inferred, my hair was just a flat out mess. I never bothered with it much. Though Miranda had this habit of obsessing over it, and continuously begging me to allow her to cut it, or straighten it, or damage it with her styling heat devices. I preferred to keep my nightmarish mane natural. Or at least as natural as a rat's nest could get.

"Well. Good for him. Maybe this new girlfriend will make him just a tad less of a geek." I chuckled to myself, rising to my feet. We were sitting in the middle of Miranda's small bedroom. Tossed about were used or clean clothes, hair brushes, posters of disturbing wrestlers, and even the occasional lipstick tube. Neither of us were big on make-up, but Miranda had always kept some for 'emergencies'.

"Ha. Like that'll ever happen." Miranda snorted, mirroring my action, and smoothing out her long black skirt. She then eyed my choice of attire, and gave me one of those 'We-Have-Got-To-Do-Something-About-That' looks that just came naturally to her.

I didn't dress in lacy skirts and tops like my dear friend did. I preferred my dark Flare jeans and a T-Shirt. Covering my rainbow striped socks at all times were a pair of brown combat boots. They were comfortable and protected my sensitive feet, so why not?

There was a sudden vibrating from within the back pocket of my pants that made me jump in slight alarm.

"That'll be mum wondering where on Earth I've disappeared to." I rolled my eyes, embracing Miranda in a goodbye hug. She nodded, murmuring something in an inaudible whisper, before she ushered me out of her bedroom.

"Keep safe, Will." She grinned, almost pushing me down the stairs and out the front door. My full name was Willow Marie, but Miranda preferred to use my unpopular nickname. I made a mental note to kick her later for it. For now I had to hurry through the drizzle of rain that greeted me as I stepped out into the cold.

My bare arms seemed to explode in goose-bumps as the cold hit me hard. Immediately I could feel the cold rain-droplets bite my skin. So I tucked my head in, hugged my arms to my chest, and quickly hurried down the narrow sidewalk just beside the dull gray asphalt.

The streets were relatively abandoned by now, considering it had been raining for hours. So during the short stroll home, I was pretty much alone. It only took about 4 minutes to walk home, as we lived on the same block.

"Mum, I'm home!" I called in my posh London accent, hanging my dripping coat on the rack beside the front door. Our house was relatively small, considering there was only 2 of us. Mum and I. Dad left when I was a baby, and mum just never found another bloke who would marry her. In fact, she never even searched for a new relationship; no matter how much I encouraged her.

I made my way into the cozy living room where the heat could really be felt. It was almost like a blast furnace at first, but my shivering body welcomed the warmth. It enveloped me like a friendly embrace.

"Oh, it's about time!" Mum snapped from where she sat on the old, tattered couch. Just like Miranda and I, I was mum's polar opposite. She had incredibly thin Auburn hair that fell in a pin-straight sheet to her shoulders. Mum was short, almost petite. I, on the other hand, was tall; almost 5'9".

"Sorry, I was with Miranda. Then it started to rain so I figured it would be alright if I stayed…?" I winced, knowing the lecture I was about to get. Mum was big on lectures. Almost everything I did resulted in one. This time it would most likely be about how I didn't check in every 2 minutes, nor did I alert her of how long I would be out of the house. Then I would most likely be grounded to my room for the rest of the night where I would write her an essay about the importance of checking in with your family.

My mother was a teacher. Now that it was summer and I was graduated, she had begun to use me as her only student. And I had thought I was done with school.


	2. Just The Doctor

With my old blue book-bag in hand, I quietly made my way down the dank street. The rain had stopped, leaving only the wetness and fresh smell in its wake. Mum had demanded that I write her this 'Expository Essay' in a quiet place. She claimed that peace and quiet was the best circumstances to write in. So, of course, she made me oblige.

It was a rather quick walk from the end of our street to the wall that surrounded our quiet, little city. I had decided on the pathway that snaked along the wall with the pretty white railing. Coupled with the lack of people due to the rain, this location had always been quite peaceful.

I walked up the wet stone steps, clinging to the cold, white rails for support. The air was cold, and I had forgotten my coat. So, naturally, my teeth chattered and my body shook as it tried to raise its temperature.

As far as I could tell, I was alone. So I decided to make my way away from the steps, farther down the wall. The landscape on the other side of York was quite stunning. I was walking along the area that was surrounded by thick, colorful trees. Beyond the small wooded section, was a vast green pasture. It stretched for miles. The dark, billowing storm clouds that had just passed dipped down with the horizon to meet the beautiful greenery.

As I ventured onwards, I realized that I was actually not alone. There was a man a little ways up. He was just standing there leaning over the rail with his fingers interlocked. He appeared to be deep in thought, or perhaps listening. But to what? What noise was there to hear other than the faint breeze rustling through the trees. Maybe he was listening to nature.

I slowly stepped closer, focusing keenly on him. He was tall, and slender as a twig. Attire wise, the man was wearing a brown long coat with a blue pin-stripe suit. Against my own will, I decided he was rather handsome. He didn't appear much older that maybe his late twenties or early thirties. Definitely not over 40.

"Hello." I murmured quietly, stepping over. I was about 6 feet away from him now, gazing out at the environment like he was. I didn't know why I greeted the stranger. It just felt…right. Plus I had always been a very curious, friendly person. There weren't many people who were not to be trusted in York, so why should he be any different? But I could honestly say I had never seen him before.

The man turned to look at me, a small smile upon his lips. He blinked, his hands in his pant pockets.

"Hello." He answered back, returning his gaze to its original location.

That was it? There was no 'How are you?' or 'Wonderful weather we're having'. Maybe I had just interrupted his in-depth thoughts. Oh well. Why not continue.

"If I may ask, what exactly are you doing?" I questioned, stepping closer still. I mirrored his actions, leaning on the wet railing and interlocking my fingers. It took a moment, but the man replied.

"Do you hear it?" He asked, not tearing his gaze way from the horizon. I blinked in confusion. Okay, I had decided that as well as being handsome, this stranger was mad. Not angry mad, but crazy man. Not right in the head. Of course I could hear it. It was called the wind, duh. But what if he was talking about something else?

"Hear what?" I cocked a brow, turning to gaze at him once more with my curious blue eyes.

"Ah, didn't think so. It's called The Hum." He began, narrowing his eyes. "It is a low-frequency humming, rumbling, or droning noise not audible to all people. Those who can detect the Hum have been referred to as "hearers", "sensors", "hummers", and "humlings". About 2% to 5% of the general population can detect the Hum. However, it isn't merely heard. It can also be felt as a sort of vibrating inside of you. That's the human definition of it anyways. What they don't know is that it's actually the intercepting magnetic waves of your dear planet that react with the Time Vortex. It's very rare to hear, but in some places the sound barrier is weaker and thus it can be heard." He rambled, before turning to look at me. Wow he had lovely eyes.

I narrowed my own eyes. He spoke of us Humans as if he wasn't one of us. Oh yes, he was definitely mad.

"So, who are you? Some kind of Physicist? Scientist? Naturalist?" I questioned, turning to lean on the railing with my arms folded.

"Yes, actually. Well, sort of. I'm a bit of each. Physics, Physics, Physics…" His voice trailed off, and he grinned. Again, he was handsome, and I couldn't help but notice it. Excuse my girly emotions but this guy was pretty good looking.

"So…" I sighed, not quite sure what I should be saying. This guy was interesting, almost enticing. I felt like he knew everything to know. Like his mind was just a vast library full of books and stories ripe for the picking. So I decided to press further.

"The time vortex is like…time, right? Like right now it's, let's say, 3:45. It's 3:45 because of your 'time vortex', right?" I knew almost immediately that I was wrong. He proved me right about being wrong.

"Uh, no. Well…no." He sighed, grinning vaguely. I decided it was something I wouldn't understand, so I didn't question further.

"You're mad, you know that?" I blurted out. That ended with a good long laughing from both of us.

"Yes, yes I know." He chuckled, stepping back and turning to face me. "What is your name?" He asked.

I hesitated. Mum always told me to never share any personal information with strangers. But for some odd reason, I felt like I could trust this guy. So I told him.

"Willow. Willow Ann Reinbold."

He nodded, closing his eyes as if he was pondering my name. After a few quiet moments, he spoke.

"Nice to meet you, Willow. My name is The Doctor." He held out his hand, which I eagerly shook. _The Doctor? I knew it! He is a physicist! _

"Doctor, what?"

"If you use correct grammar, the question is 'Doctor…Who?'" He smiled, pulling his hand away from mine. "And, just 'The Doctor'."

_Huh. The Doctor. Just the Doctor. _

"Well, it's nice to meet you too, Just The Doctor."


	3. The Trees Are Calling For Help

We stood in complete silence for a long time. I was straining to hear the Hum; which of course I could not. The Doctor appeared to be listening to it, occasionally muttering to himself. I had always thought I was special, but I guess I wasn't factored into the special few who could hear this inaudible 'Hum'. What made the Doctor so special? He talked about such weird unknown things. Bizarre. He was just, to be blunt, bizarre. I was about to ask more about him, when he suddenly leapt back and shouted "OH I'M THICK!"

The sudden outburst made me gasp, and I averted my gaze from nothing, to The Doctor. He had his fingers through his hair and he appeared to be staring at nothing in particular.

"The Hum, the Hum! Gahh I'm THICK!" He spat, before suddenly gripping my shoulders and looking me in the eye. "The Hum sounds like a distant idling diesel engine. But this…This isn't a hum, this is a note this is a tone, a VOICE! A humming voice, not an interception! Only question is…" He paused, slowly and dramatically turning to scan the area. "Where is it coming from…?"

I pulled away from the crazy man and stepped back, glaring at him. I didn't like being touched. "Maybe somebody is humming?" I offered, knowing I probably wasn't of much help.

"No, no. It isn't a human hum…No…it sounds like…" His gaze fell upon the trees. "It sounds like the trees…"

The trees? So first it was an interception between a Time things, and now the trees are humming? What was up with this guy?

I brushed nothing off of my shoulder for effect. "IF the trees are humming…Why does it matter?" I questioned, gazing out at the trembling leaves. The trees looked fine. They looked normal. How on Earth were the trees humming? They weren't. Trees don't hum. Trees don't have vocal cords.

The Doctor didn't answer my question. Instead he began pacing and lowly murmuring to himself. His words were mostly inaudible, but I did manage to catch "Sad, Asking, Help, Humans, Trouble, and even TARDIS." What's a TARDIS? Or, who is a TARDIS? I decided this mad man was talking gibberish. But, he was interesting. I almost didn't want to leave. But I knew I should.

"Alright, well, good lu-", I began, before The Doctor suddenly gripped my hand and pulled me forward. Okay. He was kidnapping me. I have fallen victim to a kidnapper. Dear goodness what do I do! But I didn't do anything. I followed him as he rushed forward, my hand in his.

"Do you know of any construction down by the woods? Anything that might be harming or scaring the trees? Anything at all?" He pressed urgently, keeping his gaze on the trees as he raced forward to the stairs that led down.

I thought hard. Nothing came to mind. But then, it hit me! 'Insecto-gone'. The 'Ultimate Pesticide! It will rid trees of bugs for life!'

"YES!" I shouted quite suddenly, before pulling my hand out of his and stopping as he leaped down the stairs. His red converse squelched in the fresh mud.

The Doctor looked up at me, as if to say "Well, don't leave me in suspense, go on!" So I did.

"Yes, I remember. They've started spraying this weird pesticide on the trees to 'Rid them of bugs for life'." I used finger quotes. I had always been against the use of commercial brand pesticides. "This guys, some average joe, just randomly showed up with it and said it and convinced the Mayor to let him spray the woods to keep the bugs out of York." I explained.

The Doctor nodded, before suddenly smacking his head. "Of course!" As he sprang towards the forest.

I, against my will, followed The Doctor. The stench hit me immediately. It was foul. It was more than foul it was putrid. Tangy. Sour. Rotten. It reminded me of a mixture of ammonia and curdled milk. Maybe there was even a bit of decaying corpse and methane gas involved. Overall, it just stank. Bad. I plugged my nose and ventured onwards, my nose burning. The Doctor didn't seem bothered by it.

"What is that…?" He whispered, breathing in deeply and closing his eyes. We were now under the cover of a treetop canopy. I could almost feel the smell, and it burned my mouth when I took in a breath.

"Woo! That, is disgusting." I finally gasped, coughing as the smell filled my senses. Out of his long coat, however, The Doctor pulled out a medical face mask and handed it to me, which I eagerly pulled on. It didn't block out the lingering smell, but my face had quit burning. Now it was my eye's turn to water.

"It smells like…" The Doctor closed his eyes and suddenly shot a finger up into the air. "GOTCHA!" He exclaimed, "It's a complex combination, but I think I've got it. It's a mixture of 3.2 Hyphlogas with a bit of Melstinian…and maybe even some…OH! No…No it's more than that…It's…OH!"

"What!" I snapped, reaching forward to touch the trunk of a tree. However, the Doctor grabbed my hand and pulled me away. "Don't touch the trees. Not a finger." He warned. I narrowed my eyes. This was all some big game wasn't it?

"Do you hear it? The humming? The trees are calling for help. It's not a pesticide that will get rid of bugs for life, and that wasn't some average joe. It was a chemical mixture that had just enough of everything to create a tree. To change the biological make up. These aren't all trees, Willow. These are people. People who have been changed into…trees…" He motioned to the woods. "Thiiiissssss, is mad. Who would have done this? They're calling for help because nobody can hear them. They're calling for help because I am here, and I am the only one who can hear them. Where's the Joe? I need to see the joe." He spoke at insane speeds, finishing off with a loud shout.

I just stood there, unable to keep up, with my mouth agape and eyes wide. "Why should I help you?" I snapped, my hands on my hips. "I was just going to spend my afternoon writing an essay for my mum, when all of a sudden I've run into some mad bloke and now he suddenly claims the trees are actually HUMANS, and he wants me to take him to the suddenly richest man in all of YORK! I'm sorry, but you can find him yourself, DOCTOR! I didn't sign up for this!" Before I turned away and stopped away from the trees. And, just as a rebellious act, I slammed my hand into a wet, glistening trunk. Immediately I knew that I had gone too far.

It burned. Oh it burned so bad. I let out a sharp yelped and pulled my hand into my chest. The Doctor was immediately at my side, gripping my wrist and staring intently at my hand. It was throbbing now. A sort of warm throb. There was a greenish vein sort of thing on my palm. It appeared to be growing.

"Oh now look what you've done! Willow!" He groaned, grabbing my other hand. "Take me to the man. NOW!"

I recoiled at the Doctor's harsh tone, but nodded and began leading him at a fast run up the steps and down the path. He had said that the trees were people, and it actually made sense. People have begun to go missing in York recently, but we had thought nothing of it. So if that chemical mixture turned humans into trees…and I had touched it…Oh dear goodness…Was I going to turn into a tree?!


	4. Mr Melbourne

It seemed that by the time we got to Melbourne's house, I was the only one panting with my lungs about to burst. It seemed The Doctor was in shape; I was the complete opposite. Running had never been my thing. I wondered if this guy spent hours running every day. Like those joggers with their IPod clipped to their sleeves and their hair in a pony-tail.

Somehow I just couldn't see the Doctor with ridiculously short shorts and an IPod.

"How's your hand?" The Doctor asked as he pulled something out of his coat. He rushed it past me too fast for me to see, but there was a bright blue light that swept over my face, before he looked at the little trinket.

"Uh…Not sure." I, a bit confused, pulled my hand in front of my face and gasped. It was turning brown. Not brown as in skin color, no it was tree bark brown. My skin was rough and jagged to the touch; like the bark of a tree. "Wh-what's happening to me?" I questioned, but the Doctor shined his little flashlight on the door handle and there was a click. Then he turned the handle and just walked in. What? Really?

"Doctor whatever, you can't just _walk in _to Melbourne's house!" I exclaimed as he disappeared. But I didn't want to become a tree, so I followed.

The stench hit me immediately; once more. It was the same smell that lingered in the woods. The same smell that radiated from my now metamorphosing hand. Whatever had changed all those people into trees. Wow. That sounded silly. This was all some big joke, right?

"Mr. Melbourne!" The Doctor called, strolling quickly through the normal looking rooms of the tiny home. He shined his little light in just about every corner. I made a mental note to ask what the heck that toy was, because it was really starting to irritate me.

That was when I heard it. A low, throaty growl that rose in intensity as it progressed. It made my skin crawl…as it came from behind me.

"So, Willow, what's your mum's name?" The Doctor suddenly whispered as he turned to face me, his gaze resting just over my shoulder. I didn't care about what my mum's name was right now. I wanted to know what the heck this thing was that was breathing down my neck. So I began to turn around.

But calmly the Doctor stepped closer, his eyes wide and staring at whatever was behind me. "No, don't. Don't turn around. Just…Just tell me your mum's name…" He whispered. His voice terrified me right then, and my body tensed.

"Uh, Ra…Sorry, Rachael." I replied, starting to tremble.

"Rachael…What a nice name." The Doctor stepped past me until he was out of my sights. I began to panic.

"D-Doctor!" I gasped, but he quieted me with a 'shhh…' So I did 'shh'. I closed my mouth and stood stock still.

"What are you…" He murmured under his breath. The warm breathing on the back of my neck ceased and I forced myself to relax slightly. Ever so slowly I turned around, biting my tongue to keep from gasping.

It was a tree. Well, sort of. It was a stump, a log. With a long nose and pitch black eyes. Like the eyes of a shark. It was glaring down at and looming over the Doctor as he held out his hands and took a step back. That thing had to be at least 9 feet tall, and it reeked.

"Doctor what is that." I whispered, looking down at my hand. I couldn't feel it anymore, couldn't wiggle my fingers or clench my fist. In fact, I couldn't bend my elbow. It had progressed, whatever _it _was. All the way up to about 3 inches below my shoulder was dark brown, creased, rough bark. Bark! There was even a branch beginning to grow from just above my elbow, with a small green bud that was most likely going to be a leaf.

I was too stunned to touch the bark.

"Mr. Melbourne? You are Mr. Melbourne, right?" The Doctor didn't answer my question, but the tree thing answered his. In a low humming sound, cut off short by a sort of cough.

"Oh, I see…" The Doctor whispered, reaching a hand out. "May I?"

He rested his hand gently upon the tree, before suddenly it was gone. In its place stood the Mr. Melbourne that I knew. The motley dressed man with a potbelly and an undercut. With his glasses down low to the tip of his nose and his bare feet. That man had always disgusted me.

"Oh hello there!" The Doctor smiled, giving a little wave. Mr. Melbourne opened his mouth and spoke, but not in the voice I knew. He spoke in a very deep, gruff growl. It was so deep it seemed to shake the very foundation of his home.

"We have traveled far, in search of plentiful space to breed." He growled. The Doctor appeared thoughtful.

"Yes, yes, repopulate, strengthen the numbers, yes. But why do you need humans?"

The Melbourne Monster spoke up, but only after giving me a cold, hard, stare. I averted my gaze to my arm. The disease or whatever was spreading, and that terrified me. Now the strange bark had fully engulfed my arm, stripping me of mobility or feeling, and had begun to climb up my neck. "D-Doctor can we hurry?"

"We have grown weak from travel. Humans are strong. We breed new species. Infect body, and convert." The beast spaced out each word as if speaking was hard. I was really starting to freak out. I didn't want to be a tree. Not now, not ever.

"Willow, would you come here a moment?" The Doctor more commanded then asked, and I did so, sidling up to him with my body trembling like crazy. How in the world was he going to undo this? Look at me! I could feel it climbing up my cheek.

"If you withdraw your offspring, I can take you all to your own planet where you can grow strong and prosperous." The Doctor offered, gripping my uninfected hand tightly. Um, hello? I'm standing here being turned into a tree for crying out loud, and you want to make a deal? Kill that thing! Use pesticide, do something, just fix this! Don't Doctors fix things? Some Doctor you are!

The man who I had known as Mr. Melbourne suddenly raised one of his beefy hands into the air. _Good, he's taking it away._ I thought, but the Doctor didn't sound too sure.

"What are you doing…" He narrowed his eyes warily.

Turns out I had been wrong. I suddenly couldn't feel my face. I couldn't speak, the words wouldn't come. Oh my gosh I'm a tree! My arms were stiff and immobile at my side, I could only move my eyes. From the waist up, I was a tree. Well, sort of. All of my human proportions remained, though my skin was wood/bark, and my bones were frozen in place.

"Stop it." The Doctor warned as the creature aimed to raise his hand again. "I'm warning you Mr. Melbourne, just stop it. I'm giving you one chance. Reverse this, and I'll take you and your whole family to a planet of your own. If not, you will die along with your whole species."

How could one crazy man kill millions of tree spores? At least that's what I thought they were. Maybe this guy was like the mother-ship, exuding spores that infected people? I was probably wrong.

"Haha." Mr. Melbourne's laugh made my blood curdle. It was a dangerous, mocking laugh. One that clearly said 'Try me' And that was when his hand rose again, and he clenched it in a fist. The sudden pain in my legs was intense. Excruciating. Agonizing, unbearable.

My knees buckles and I collapsed to the floor, howling out in pain. How in the world could I have that much pain? It was without words. I wanted to die. I honestly felt that cutting off my legs would feel less painful than this. I shrieked, the pain was so intense.

"I warned you." The Doctor hissed simply, pulling out his flashlight and turning a nob, before he held it up to Melbourne.

The man began to burn, letting out a horrible shriek even worse than my own. It was like the sound of nails on a chalkboard. And he burst into flames, collapsing to the floor and losing his human-ness. He was simply now, a log. A burning log in the middle of the room.

"Willow are you alright?" The Doctor inquired, crouching beside me. I could move. The pain was gone and I could move.

"How…How did killing him heal me?!" I asked in disbelief as he helped a shaky me to my unsteady feet. There was no more tree on me, I was human. Fully human.

"Oh, he was the link and when he died, that link snapped, gone, notta. Since there is no link, his offspring became dormant, and thus lost their effects." I had a feeling even this nonsense was dumbed down.

"So, wait. I have dormant alien trees living inside of me?!" I gasped.

"Yeah, but they won't do you any harm, no need to worry."

No need to worry? This man was really something.


	5. A Twist of Fate

The Doctor just walked into a tiny Police Public Call Box as if expecting me to follow. Right, like I would get all cramped up with a stranger in that thing. And when did that even get there? I hadn't noticed it there on my walk over to the wall, so why was it there now? Maybe they had delivered it while we were dealing with the whole Melbourne incident.

That was quite the event. Now I could say that I know what it's like to be a tree. Then a deeper thought crossed my mind as I thought of the word 'Tree-hugger'. I decided that I would start hugging those trees, to let them know that I know. To let all those people know that I understand. That I know they're there.

But are they still there? It's like the Doctor just forgot about them. He just swaggered off to this little box on the corner after disposing of the log that use to be Mr. Melbourne. Did he care at all? Did he even care about all those poor people trapped as trees, forever calling for help; in vain? He didn't did he? Suddenly this crazy, attractive, yet kind man seemed heartless. How dare he just leave them? How dare he?

I could actually feel tears welling up. This wasn't normal. I never cried. Not ever.

Turning to the tiny box on the corner, I gripped the handle. I was going to open the door and tell the Doctor 'I'm going home'. But could I? Could I really just leave this poor, mentally-unstable bloke? I swear I felt like he was a close friend. Closer than Miranda.

I opened the door, and gasped. Not what I had expected to find…at all. It was…Bigger. It was bigger inside. No. No way. That wasn't possible. And yet there was The Doctor just standing there looking up at some sort of Monitor that hung from what appeared to be a console? He looked up and waved, before flicking some switches.

I stepped back, totally stunned. Circling the box, I concluded that it was a projection. That was the only logical explanation. If I stuck my hand in I would feel the back wall. And so I did. But my hand kept going in farther and farther until I found myself standing inside with my hands gripping the railing until my knuckles turned white. How? How was this possible?

"Go ahead, I've heard it all." The Doctor smiled almost triumphantly as he bounced over.

"No way…This isn't possible!" I gasped, before laughing. This was incredible. Maybe his madness was wearing off on me.

"It's a TARDIS. That's Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. It can take you anywhere in all of space and time." He leaned back against the railing, obviously very proud of himself. So it was like a spaceship, eh? A UFO? Did that make this man an alien? It seems I have found myself an alien friend! "So what do you say?" The Doctor extended a hand to me, but I hesitated. I knew what he meat. He wanted me to run away with him. We wanted to show me what he could offer. And I took it.

"I've gotta get my stuff! Can't go runnin' off with a stranger in a spaceship without some clothes! I'll be right back, STAY HERE!" With that I shot out, slamming the door shut behind me and bounding down the stree.

A smile was planted on my face. Running away with this man could result in one of 2 things. Either the time of my life if he was telling the truth, or a horrible demise if he was lying. I would really hate for him to be lying; I trusted him. He saved my life for crying out loud. And I felt like I knew him.

"Willow, did you write me that paper?" Is what greeted me as I burst inside. I ignored my mother and raced up the stairs to my bedroom, pulling my suitcase out from under my bed. This was going to be great. Absolutely fantastic.

"Willow what on earth are you doing?" My mother exclaimed, but I locked my door. Couldn't have her bugging me and asking all sort of questions while I packed. I grabbed pretty much everything out of my drawers and closet, shoving it all into my great big luggage case. I could bother with organization later. Then I grabbed my hand-mirror and shoes, as well as a photo of my mum and me.

That was when I heard it.

"_It's time…Open me…" _Was that…My voice? I sat up, confused. _"Open." _No, that time it was The Doctor. I looked around, terrified. He was in my room! But where? _"Open." _That time it was my voice. There were whispers that were talking too fast to understand. I whipped around to my dresser and stopped.

My Fob Watch. I knew immediately that it was my fob watch. But, it was drawing me to it. I picked it up. It felt so warm in my hand. _"It's time." _That was my voice! I was so shocked that I would have dropped it, but it wouldn't leave my hand. I was almost squeezing it in my trembling fingers.

My finger ghosted over the button to open it. It was almost like static electricity, dragging me in. And so I opened it.

_Half an hour later~_

I stepped into the TARDIS, my suitcase rolling in behind me, and I closed the door.

"Ah, welcome back Willow!" The Doctor smiled from where he sat on a chai beside the console, in front of the railing.

_The people within the trees were too far gone, when the connection broke they all died. The trees are trees, no humans within._

"Hello!" I grinned, rolling my suitcase over to the seat and gazing around the TARDIS.

_The last living TARDIS. TT Type 40, Mark 3._

"All of time and space…where shall we go first?"

I hid my hands behind my back, my fingertips were glowing gold. If I was going to tell him, it had to be now.

"Doctor…" I stepped closer, grabbing his hand tightly and holding it up. He looked confused.

"Doctor, I have two hearts." I whispered, dropping my Fob Watch into his hand and looking up at him with a sincere smile.


	6. Loch Ness Lake

I had expected uncontrollable glee. Joyous shock, even a simple smile would have passed. But this? He just stood there like a zombie. His expression was fathomless. Now, normally I'm good with understand people's feelings through their expressions. But the Doctor's face was unreadable. I really couldn't understand it this time; and it frightened me. He just gazed down at the Fob Watch with that stony expression. It was intimidating.

"Doctor?" I whispered, trying to see past that mask. No luck. This guy was good at keeping it hidden.

'How?" He suddenly spoke. Again, there was no 'Oh I'm so excited!' or at least a, 'This is great!' Nope. Only a simple, blunt, 'how'. I gripped his hand that wasn't gripping the Fob Watch so tightly his knuckles were white, and led him to the seat. Sitting down, I pulled the stunned man down beside me. Taking a deep breath, I began with what I already knew. What my mother had told me moments before she activated the life-changing device.

"There had been rumors of the time war. Mother wanted me to survive. She didn't want to see her baby girl die in the midst of destruction and hatred. So she took me into her TARDIS, and activated the Chameleon Arch. She saved my life, against my will. I was young, had only just looked into the Time Vortex." I explained quietly.

"Then she ran away from Gallifrey, and dumped me off here at Rachael's door-step with my Fob Watch in hand. I never paid much attention to that thing, in fact I had forgotten I had it by the time you showed up."

At the exact same time The Doctor and I both murmured, 'Perception Filter'. He finally smiled.

After that there was silence. It wasn't the awkward silence that made you want to start small talk. It was the loud type of silence. The deafening kind where we both knew we were reliving our pasts.

"So is it really all gone?" I spoke up quietly, turning my head to look at him. There was a very faint smile upon the man's face. As if he was reliving the glory days. I, myself, slipped into happy memories of my home planet. Where all was a shade of red. Where the deep, lush, red grass swept across the landscape. Where the crimson and gold clouds floated along. The twin suns that rose and set every day. I really missed that place.

"Yeh." The Doctor murmured sadly. Well, it wasn't a time of nostalgia, so I decided to change the subject.

"I'm brand spanken new." I bragged, shoving my nose up into the air. "Number 2."

"Ha, you're just a baby. I'm number 10." The Doctor perked up.

"Am not!" I argued. "I'm just more careful!"

The Doctor fell silent. He gazed down at the Fob Watch for a moment, before looking up. "You've been hiding in this thing your whole life." He murmured. His tone made me uncomfortable, and I stood up.

"Alright big guy. I'm a bit rusty; only flown a TARDIS once…but I really want to go to Appalappachia. Mum always told me we would go there someday. See the gardens maybe!" I grinned, strolling over to the controls. The Doctor didn't move. I could feel him watching me.

It all just sort of came to me, as I rotated this and pushed this and set this to this date. After a mere 24 seconds, we were taking off, setting course for the planet of Appalappachia.

The TARDIS jolted to a halt, and I fell into the console with a laugh. "Second time flying one of these babies and I am good!" I boasted, strolling towards the door. The Doctor followed behind me. He was like a ghost almost. Silent and trailing. It bugged me.

When I opened the door, I didn't know what to expect. But I certainly didn't expect this. We were on a bright green hill with a crumbling stone wall stretching out to a gorgeous, deep blue lake. Had I done something wrong? This wasn't Appalappachia, we were still on Earth.

"Ah, Loch Ness Lake, Scotland. It looks to be…" The Doctor stuck his pointer finger up in the air like he was testing the wind. "1963, when the first film of 'Nessie' was shot!" He clapped his hands together, shoving his hands in his pockets and trudging down to the shore. Confused, I followed.

"Yeh, um, Doctor? Why are we here?" I would much rather be on Appalappachia right now. Or maybe sunbathing on Midnight, or even collecting diamonds on the Lost Moon of Poosh. But Scotland in 1963? This was boring.

"The TARDIS is an unreliable, trusty old girl. There's a reason we're here, we've just got to figure it out." He informed me, crouching down beside the water and pulling out his Sonic Screwdriver. It was strange, I knew what it was now. It just sort of came to me. He gazed at the water as he flashed the Sonic over it, before holding the sonic up to his face and reading it.

"Willow… "The Doctor turned to face me, and I blinked. It was that face. The face he had given me when Melbourne was behind me. The face that sent shivers running down my spine. "Were going to catch us a monster."


End file.
